[4] Redshirt sophomore Zack Mills would lead the offense, with expectations high after showing flashes of brilliance coming off the bench in 2001.

Trailing 27–9 in the fourth quarter, UCF got within three points with 24 seconds remaining but failed to recover the onside kick, and Penn State ran out the clock.

[21] In front of a crowd of 110,753, a new Beaver Stadium attendance record that stood intact for 15 years, (110,823 VS Michigan 2017) Penn State routed the Cornhuskers 40–7, as Larry Johnson and backup quarterback Michael Robinson each had two touchdown runs.

[22] Penn State beat the Bulldogs 49–17, despite Tech's quarterback Luke McCown throwing for more than 400 yards but also threw three interceptions and had a fumble lost.

Paterno was angered that Penn State wide receiver Tony Johnson caught a pass with both feet in bounds according to the stadium's video replay board, but the play was ruled an incompletion.

Penn State scored on touchdowns from Zack Mills, Larry Johnson, and Sean McHugh and got four Robbie Gould field goals.

[27] Joe Paterno expressed his displeasure with the officials for the second time this season as he yelled at referee David Witvoet after regulation.

There were a number of odd and questionable actions by the officials during the game, as pointed out by the TV commentators, including the roughing the punter penalty and the referee refusing to ask for measurements when it appeared Michigan had been stopped short of first down.

Larry Johnson set Penn State's single-game rushing record as the Nittany Lions shut out the Wildcats 49–0.

Johnson also broke Penn State's single-season rushing record with a total of 1,736 yards with two games left to play.

[32] Larry Johnson became the ninth player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season[33] as Penn State blew out the Spartans 61–7.

He was pulled for a couple drives in the third quarter, and backup quarterback Michael Robinson led to the Lions for a field goal to go up 9–7.

[72] Tailback Larry Johnson would finish the season as the first Nittany Lion to lead the nation in rushing and all-purpose yardage.

Johnson become the ninth player in Division I-A history to gain 2,000 yards rushing in the regular season, finishing third in Heisman Trophy balloting.

Paterno and Penn State athletic director Tim Curley called for a comprehensive review of Big Ten officiating.

[76] After the Big Ten concluded its comprehensive review of its officiating, the conference implemented a pilot program during the 2003 season to evaluate the use of instant replay.